Africa Creates: Richard Crompton - A New Brand of Detective

A few things about Richard Crompton stood out for me: his speech, which is as eloquent as his writing style; his dissatisfaction with the manner in which mainstream media reports on Africa; and his passion to tell a story that captures the strength and dynamism of Kenyans and the richness of Nairobi.

Those points alone put him on my list of ‘Must Read Authors’.

And did I mention he knows how to write really well?

A journalist by profession, Richard hails from London but had the good sense to move to East Africa several years ago. He has lived in Nairobi since early 2007, about a year before the post election violence. That however didn’t send him packing; instead, it launched him on a search for a story unlike any I’ve read before.

His debut book goes by two titles: The Honey Guide in the UK; and Hour of the Red God in the US. Both titles have their own great background stories to them, which he explains in the interview.

Like Richard, the main character is a newcomer to Nairobi: a Maasai detective who has taken to heart his most recent case. If that doesn’t perk your interest, the opening chapter (available here) certainly will.

Visit his website, which is chock full of more details, info and links than I can put here.

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